Friction-clutch.



W. DENNIS.

FRIUTION CLUTCH.

APPLloATIoN PILBDJUNE4,1910

Patented Feb. 18, 1913.

2 SHEETS-ausm' 1.

NW N X wh m. N h. y uw S w mw u W. DENNIS.

FRICTION CLUTCH.

APPLIGATloN FILED Mmm, 1910.

Patented Feb. 18, 1913 2 SHBETSSHEET 2.

WILLIAM DENNIS, 0F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

TO VERGES MANUFACTURING CO., OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OFWISCONSIN.

FRICTION-CLUTCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 18,1913.

Application filed June. 4, 1910. Serial No. 564.957.

To all w'om it may concern: l

Be it known that I, lVILLLur Di-iNNis, a citizen of the United States,residing at Milwaukee, county of Milwaukee, and State of Wisconsin, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Friction-Clutches, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in friction clutches, with especialreference to that type of clutches in which the motion is transmittedfrom the driving to the driven member through a set of friction disksarranged to move into and out of side pressure contactwith each other.

The object of my invention is to provide more effective means forbinding the disks together with sufficient pressure to prevent slippage.Also to improve the mechanism structurally7 whereby the cutting ofspline grooves in the shaft is avoided, and whereby the disks will bereadily separated from each other .sufiieiently to permit ofindependent. mot-ion when the clamping pressure is relieved.

In the following description, reference is had to the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 is a view', in axial section, of a clutchembodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view, left hand section,drawn on line a'- of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a sectional view, right handsection, drawn on linel g/-y of Fig. 1.

Like parts are identified by the same reference `characttu's throughoutthe several views.

1 is a shaft and 2 is a sleeve mounted thereon and adapted to revolveindependA ently ot' the shaft. Either the shaft 1 or the sleeve may beconsidered as the driving member and the other, the driven member of myimproved clutch. The sleeve 2 is provided with an outwardly extendingdisk 3, which carries a rim or housing 4, covering the working parts ofthe clutch. A tubular Wedge member G is mounted upon the shaft with oneend abutting the sleeve 2, this wedge member being split at 7 andadapted to be bound securely to the shaftl l with sufficient. force tocause it to rotate in unison with` the shaft. The inner clutch member 8is mounted upon a sleeve 9, which is axially movable along the shaft andbears upon the shaftY at one end and upon the wedge member G at theother end, said sleeve being tapered at 10 where itl extends over titeend of the tubular wedge member C. Clamping screws 11 have threadedbearing in the clutch member 8 and extend through suitable apertures ina flange 12 on the member G, the ends of these'serews being providedwith nuts 14 which may be adjusted to draw the member 8 toward theflange 12 to bind the tubular wedge 6 upon the shaft. The screws 11 areprovided with Unthreaded extensions 16, which serve as guides for thegripping member 18 and abutment. member 20 of the clutch, being extendedinto suitable apertures in such mem'- bers.

An intermediate clutch member 22 is consuitable channels 26 in said rim4, the arrangement being such that the'member 22 is free to move axiallyalong the shaft 1 within the rim 4, but is not free to rotatevindependently of said rim. A flanged collar 28 has threaded engagementwith the sleeve 9 and serves to limit outward movement of the member 20.The gripping member 18 is a disk shaped member, preferably provided witha..tapered outer surface 30, the outer margin of the disk being slightlythinner than the inner portion. The wedges 32 are mounted in suitableradially extending channels 83 in the inner face of the abutment member20 and are adapted to bear against the outer face 30 of the grippingmember 18. These wedges are tapered inwardly and are actuated by meansof levers 36 pivoted at 37 to the abutment member and have short arms 38engaging suitable notches in the wedges, whereby an inward movement ofthe projecting power ends of the levers will move the wedges outwardradially and thus relieve the pressure of the wedges upon the grippingmember 18. A reverse movement of the lever 36 will, of course, move thewedges inwardly, whereupon the gripping member 18 will bind the clutchmember 22 between said gripping member and the clutch raember 8. Theclutch member 22 being surfaced with material 39 having high frictionalresistance, it is obvious that motion transmission without slipping maybe easily effected.

The levers are actuated by means of a shifting lever 40 of ordinaryconstruction, operatively connected with a collar 42,

frict-ional contact which is mounted for axial movement upon ythe sleeve9 and connected by links 43 with the respective levers 36. Vh'en thecollar 42 is moved outwardly to the position indicated by dotted linesin Fig.' 1, the power end of the .lever 36 will move inwardly and adjustthe Wedges 32 to releasing position. '1A reverse movement of vthe collar42 a ill adjust the wedges to binding position, in which positionthey 1. Springs 44 may be coiled about the pins 1G between thegripping?,r member, 18 and the clutch member 8, whereby when thepressure of the wedges 32 is relieved, the member 18 will immediatelyseparate from binding with the intermediate member 22. It will of coursebe understood that when the wedges 32 are in clutch setting position,all the parts will revolve in unison and motion may be transmitted fromthe shaft 1 to the sleeve 2, or vice versa.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is,--

l. A clutch of the described class, comprising the combination ofdriving and driven members provided with interacting (risks relativelymovable axially into and out oit' grippingy contact with each other andconnected to rotate with the respect-ive members, of an abutment membersupported from one of the other members, a set of radially disposedwedges mounted for sliding radial movement on the abutment member, andarranged to bear upon one of said disks, said disk havin;r a bearingsurface inclined inwardly and axially into the paths of the wedges, andmeans for actuating the wedges.

A clutch of the described class, comprising the combination with ashaft, a sleeve thereon havingi a housing, a split Wedge sleeve on theshaft within the housing, an axially movable sleeve covering and adaptedto compress the wedge v clamping bolts for drawing the axiallymovablesleeve upon the wedge sleeve, a set of fixed and axially movablefriction disl-:s ,supported from said axially movable sleeve andapcrtured to receive the clamping bolts, an intermediate friction diskoperatively connected to rotate with said housing, and :nouns forbindingf said disks together.

i3. A clutch of the described class, comprising the combination with ashaft, a

are illustrated in Fig.V

ment member,

sleeve,

sleeve thereon having a housing, a split Wedge sleeve on the shaftWithin the housing, an axially movable sleeve covering and adapted tocompress the wedge sleeve. clamping bolts for drawing the axiallymovable sleeve upon the wedge sleeve, a set of fixed and axially movablefriction disks supported from said axially movable sleeve, andrelatively movable along said shaft, another set of friction disksoperatively connected 'to rotate with said housing, and

vmeans for binding said disks together, comprising an abutment membermounted upon the axially movable sleeve, a set of levers 'pivotallysupported thereby and a set ot wedges mounted for radial movementJ uponthe abutment member and operatively con-A nected with said levers, andmeans for actuating the levers substantially as described.

4r A clutch having driving and driven members, in combination with a setof motion transmitting friction disks operatively connected to rotatewith the respective members of an abutment member radially` movableclampiimY devices for binding said disks `together, and shiftingmechanism for oper-atingv said wedges, mounted on the abutone of saidfriction disks having a tapered outer surface and said clamping devicescomprising Wedges movable along said surface between it and the abutmentmember.

A clutch having driving and driven members` in combination with a set ofmotion transmitting friction disks operatively connected to rotate withthe respective members of an abutment member, radially movable clampingdevices for binding said disks together` and shiftiny mechanism for 1operating;V said wedges. mounted on the abut- ,ment member, om of saidfriction dis-lts havingl a ta|' cred outer surface and said clampimgrdevices comprising wedges' movable along said surface between it and theabutment member. said abutment member having' radial channels in whichsaid edges are suited.

ln testimony whereof l affix my signature in the presence of two\\'itnesses.

